I'm looking to replace the laminate flooring in my breakfast/dining room with real wood.
I've looked at the B&Q range and really like the rustic bamboo (look and price - £22 per sq. metre). However, it has a high gloss finish which I think may show up marks far more than a matt finish.
What do you folks think?
Can you recommended any alternative suppliers of wood flooring (reasonably priced and simple to fit)?
Also bear in mind that you have to let the wood for a real wood floor acclimatise in your house (pref the room it's going in) before you lay it.
Can't remember how long but I think it can be up to 6 weeks.
Many fail to do this, refusing to believe how much wood can expand and contract and end up re laying an expensive floor which has expanded and cracked.
There are certainly a lot of online companies out there - really need to spend some time researching.
I've decided the high gloss finish is not for me. I now really like the B&Q coffee oak. It's more expensive than the bamboo but I'll keep an eye open for their 20% off sale, whilst I check out other suppliers.
I was aware than the wood needs to acclimatise, but I thought 48-72 hours was recommended. Six weeks!
Well it may well be less than 6 weeks but it's definitely more than 72 hours!
I've just ordered a sample from UK Flooring Direct - type that into Google as posting hyperlinks here seems a waste of time. I'll let you know what it's like.
I'm in a similar dilemma and it's coming down to cost so the laminate will probably win.
My biggest fear with laminate is that it can make a horrible creaking noise under foot. We looked at a house to buy which had laminate all over the ground floor and the noise when you walked on it was horrendous.
Roger, practically everyhouse i work in has a laminate floor in one room or another (indeed i have it myself even though i dont like it but thats another story) and it shouldnt creak if fitted properly with the correct underlay and what-not. The think i dislike the most about laminated floors is that they chip so very easily. Mine was chipped within days of being laid I am not a fan of high-gloss floors (though i dont 'do' matt either). i am keen to know what happens to a solid-wood floor if it chips?
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned engineered wood as an option. It's lot cheaper than solid wood, easier to install and is much more forgiving with regards to sub floor and 'climate' etc. Being made with real wood it also looks and feels a million times better than laminate and with a little shopping around shouldn't be much dearer.
Re bamboo flooring: I received some samples recently because I really like the idea of a bamboo floor, but they look a little 'fake'. More like laminate than wood.
Originally posted by bertie_boo: what is engineered wood?
Its construction is a bit like laminate, but instead of the surface being photographed to look like wood, this IS actually wood. Most wooden flooring companies do them. Just google 'engineerd wood' and you'll get a good idea.
Originally posted by bertie_boo: is it like a veneer then? Like wood stuck to MDF or whatever? What are the disadvantages over real wood?
Some are like a veneer, but the better ones have a more 'solid' wood surface on top of the composit. These can be sanded and finished again when 'worn'. How often depends on the thickness of the wooden surface. The thicker the more expensive usually and the longer the warranty.
Originally posted by 5.55: Hello, quick quesion about the engineered wood - what core is better, plywood or soft wood?
from what i can gather the plywood core has better stability then the softwood, which would be more suitable if you are using under floor heating, and is also more suited as a structural floor over joists.
I am not a fan of high-gloss floors (though i dont 'do' matt either). i am keen to know what happens to a solid-wood floor if it chips?
